Senior Buyer (Indirects and Packaging)

Yeo Valley Production aims to Nurture & Nourish People & Planet by Making Great Food the Right Way. Forever.

We are looking for an Indirects & Packaging Senior Buyer to join our growing Yeo Valley family. As a key member of the Procurement team your role will be critical to ensuring that the procurement of packaging materials and indirect goods and services supporting the delivery our Yeo Valley growth ambitions and impacts.

You will be responsible for the leading and supporting the procurement of agreed indirect and packaging goods and services for our Yeo Valley Farms (Production) Ltd (YVFP) and Yeo Valley Fruit (YVF) businesses. Your role will be to work with business stakeholders to develop category sourcing plans; completing market reviews identifying and implementing future sources of supply. Ensuring business growth through optimized contracts and supplier management which enable supply chain cost optimization, quality and service improvements, innovation and effectively manage risk.

Your responsibilities:

• Work with business stakeholders to develop category sourcing plans for indirect and packaging spend areas under influence – which drive cost optimization and innovation, improvements in quality, service, and support us meet our business sustainability commitments
• Negotiate and implement complex indirect supply contracts - completing market reviews where applicable to identify potential new sources of supply. Developing supplier contracts and master supply agreements that drive long-term improvements in business performance and manage supply chain risk
• Implement and manage strategic supplier relationship programmes. Ensuring delivery of indirect and packaging suppliers against defined cost, sustainability, quality and service requirements
• Optimise, manage and monitor indirect supplier performance through implementation of appropriate contractual frameworks, specifications, service level agreements and supplier management processes
• Provide technical knowledge, training and guidance to support the development of wider business capability in indirect materials and services sourcing, contracting and supplier management
• Manage the implementation of key indirect and packaging projects, ensuring appropriate buy-in from key stakeholders and suppliers to ensure appropriate prioritisation and resource support
• Work with the Procurement Manager – Packaging and Indirects, the wider procurement team and business stakeholders to identify and implement improvements to indirect procurement systems and processes
• Support the development of the YV Energy sourcing strategy and leading our energy trading programme.

Essential:

• Proven track record in developing and implementing procurement category plans and delivering sustainable cost savings
• Proven negotiator with excellent influencing skills
• Able to manage multiple projects at once and work to tight or challenging deadlines
• Tenacious, resilient and self-motivated and adaptable, able to juggle multiple and changing priorities
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, ability to communicate at all levels both internally and externally
• Proven experience in building strategic supplier relationships
• Proven experience in identifying and mitigating supply chain risk.

• FMCG/Food manufacturing experience
• CIPS Qualified
• Degree Educated or equivalent work experience
• Project Management experience

We’re independent, British and proud to be making the highest quality yogurts, desserts and ice cream under the Yeo Valley brand and for many of the UK’s major retailers. Operating from four dairies and two logistics centres in Somerset and Devon, we employ over 1900 staff and produce more than 25% of the UK’s packaged yogurt.

We’re sure you don’t need convincing, but there’s a whole host of benefits that we offer. It goes without saying that you'll have access to free parking, top of the range personal protection equipment (PPE) and your own locker. You'll also receive the following:

• Competitive holiday allowance
• non-contributory pension scheme
• life cover
• healthcare cash back plan
• cycle to work scheme
• subsidised Yeo Valley products and services
• preferential rates with our partners
• learning and development opportunities; we’re committed to ensuring all of our employees have the chance to grow